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NYAC
Programs Overview
Development
of a National Infrastructure
NYAC's
National Resource Clearinghouse
Comprehensive
Health and Sexuality Education
HIV/STD Prevention
Project
NYAC Values Youth Leadership and Involvement
National Advocacy
NYAC Programs Overview
The
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
is a social justice organization that
advocates for and with young people
who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
or questioning (LGBTQ) in an effort
to end discrimination against these
youth and to ensure their physical
and emotional well being.
The
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
takes a comprehensive approach to
improving the lives of LGBTQ youth
and operates through a social justice
framework. NYAC strongly believes
that to be effective in creating change
at the national level, focused, grassroots
advocacy at the local level is critical.
NYAC knows that the expertise required
to strengthen the LGBTQ youth movement
can be found among both young people
and adults from around the country.
We
are committed to addressing the connections
between race, gender, class, and sexual
orientation; and to bridging the gap
that exists between adult LGBTQ civil
rights organizations and the mainstream
youth movement. NYAC believes that
our work requires an uncompromising
commitment to justice and the belief
in young people and their ability
to affect positive community change.
NYAC
also believes that we cannot only
focus on the problems faced by LGBTQ
youth, but that we must also look
at their strengths and the opportunities
that are available to them. Young
people, particularly young LGBTQ people,
are extraordinarily resilient and
their courage and creativity will
help us change the world.
Likewise,
NYAC believes that to only focus on
the social needs of these youth, while
ignoring the enormous health risks
that they face, is a huge mistake.
NYAC's efforts to end discrimination
facing lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender
and questioning youth and to promote
opportunities for empowerment and
healthy youth development for these
youth includes the following:
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Development of a National Infrastructure
NYAC
believes that the expertise on issues
facing LGBT youth exists not in Washington,
but rather with young people, youth-service
providers, researchers, and other
youth advocates across the country.
As a result, NYAC operates with a
five region infrastructure through
which member agencies can work on
local and regional advocacy; attend
a NYAC conference closer to home;
and channel their expertise and experiences
on a local level to affect national
policy. Annually, with the support
of NYAC, each regional conference
provides the opportunity to hundreds
of youth and adult allies in that
region to share expertise, exchange
resources, build support networks
and shape policy in support of LGBTQ
youth. Each year, more than 2,000
individuals have direct contact with
NYAC through our regional conferences.
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NYAC's
National Resource Clearinghouse
NYAC's
National Resource Clearinghouse is
the most comprehensive collection
of information and materials on issues
affecting LGBTQ youth. The National
Resource Clearinghouse provides information,
referrals, and materials to NYAC members,
LGBTQ youth, service providers, educators,
the media, and other advocates. In
addition to publishing CROSSROADS
magazine, the National Resource Clearinghouse
also offers information packets on
General LGBTQ Youth Issues, Religion,
Education, Organizational Development
and Gender Identity/Transgender Youth.
The
National Resource Clearinghouse fulfills
more than 2,000 information requests
on an annual basis and maintains a
database of more than 4,000 youth-serving
agencies and resources. Through the
National Resource Clearinghouse, NYAC
has gained a national reputation as
THE place to turn if you are a young
LGBTQ person or a supportive adult
ally seeking assistance.
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Comprehensive
Health and Sexuality Education
NYAC
is committed to developing cutting-edge
resources and providing state-of-the-art
training and technical assistance
on health and sexuality issues affecting
LGBTQ youth. NYAC's five-person health
team focuses on comprehensive sexuality
education, healthcare access issues,
HIV and STI's, lesbian health concerns,
substance use and abuse issues, domestic
violence, mental health, suicide,
and a host of other health issues
facing young people.
NYAC
is currently a contractor with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(through the Division of Adolescent
and School Health (DASH) and the Division
of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP)). NYAC
has also been contracted to develop
specific substance abuse resources
for the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP).
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HIV/STD
Prevention Project
NYAC
works to identify and make available
model programs for HIV prevention,
focusing on programs that provide
fact-based information, exploration
of values and attitudes, skills building,
and access to services. In addition,
NYAC provides technical assistance
and training to service providers
nationwide working to prevent HIV/STD
infection among LGBTQ youth.
Most
recently, with the release of alarming
new data about the outrageous rates
of infection among young men of color
having sex with men (YMSM's of color),
NYAC has redoubled its efforts to
support agencies and organizations
of color committed to stopping the
spread of HIV.
For
years, NYAC and our members have been
fighting for more research and more
resources addressing the risk behaviors
of LGBTQ youth. In fact, a report
that NYAC is about to release (funded
in part by the CDC) has found only
a handful of studies over the past
30 years concerned whatsoever with
LGBTQ youth of color.
NYAC
also implements a Training of the
Trainers (TOT) Program. This program
works to incorporate best practices
and model programs for HIV prevention
among LGBTQ youth into the infrastructure
of programs and agencies currently
networked through NYAC, and working
to meet the healthy development needs
of LGBTQ youth.
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NYAC
Values Youth Leadership and Involvement
NYAC
recognizes the remarkable power, energy,
and resiliency of LGBTQ young people,
many of whom face additional discrimination
based on race, class, and gender.
We provide mechanisms for supporting
young people to assume leadership
roles on NYAC's Board of Directors,
advisory committees, and in all our
national and regional activities.
At each of NYAC's five Regional Conferences
and our Annual Summit, youth use their
expertise to facilitate workshops
and round table discussions.
Recently,
NYAC has created a new Youth Advisory
Council specifically to assist us
with our Racial & Economic Justice
Initiative. This ten-member Council
provides on-going support to NYAC's
social justice efforts.
Finally,
NYAC offers scholarships for youth
to attend all of our regional conferences,
our National Youth Summit, and a variety
of important movement building conferences.
Additional information related to
these opportunities is available on
this site.
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National
Advocacy
NYAC
serves as a mechanism through which
its member organizations, LGBTQ youth,
and their allies can advocate on a
national level with government agencies,
national associations, and funders
to articulate the needs of LGBTQ youth
and the programs serving them.
In
2001, NYAC launched a comprehensive
policy initiative with the goal of
defining a national policy agenda
for LGBTQ youth. Today, more than
ever, it is critical that young LGBTQ
voices be heard. We need to demand
a place at the table for young people,
for LGBTQ people, for people of color,
and women. Young people, in particular,
should not have to fear being attacked
by the police, harassed at school,
or worry about getting kicked out
of their home. They shouldn't have
to be afraid that being LGBTQ will
prevent them from realizing their
dreams. And they certainly shouldn't
have to worry about being excluded
from the political process or our
LGBTQ movement for civil rights.
Over
the past several years, issues affecting
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
and questioning communities have become
a significant and legitimate part
of our country's political discourse.
For the most part, however, the debate
has been framed along partisan lines
and focused primarily on civil rights
versus special rights. Issues of concern
to LGBTQ young people have been largely
ignored by the systems which have
been created to serve all young people,
and even by LGBT adults. In fact,
the mere existence of LGBTQ teenagers
is often still questioned by policy
makers, education leaders, and even
social service agencies.
The
steps that have been taken to serve
our youth have often been met with
negative reactions including national
and local efforts to deny information,
funding, and essential services. Lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender youth
and the agencies serving them face
many challenges. Historically, LGBTQ
youth have been an invisible and under-served
population. Today, while visibility
slowly improves, services continue
to fail in adequately meeting the
needs of LGBTQ youth often when they
are most vulnerable.
In
order to change these systems, NYAC
believes that this work must occur
on many levels. One of the many critical
approaches is the shaping of local
and national public policy. Originally
founded to address advocacy at the
national level, much of NYAC's work
over the past seven years has focused
on creating greater accessibility
to resources for local organizations.
As the field matures, more agencies
are coming up against policies that
often limit their ability to work
effectively. Now, more than ever,
NYAC must play a critical role in
helping to shape public policy in
ways which ensure that the needs and
rights of LGBTQ young people are no
longer neglected. While there are
other organizations addressing policy
as it relates to LGBT adults, and
traditional youth advocates who fight
for a strong national youth policy,
there is no group which currently
looks at the intersection between
the two. This is NYAC's role.
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